Election Commission of India
Press Notes

Attention: Kashmiri Migrants

(i) The general election to the Legislative Assembly of Jammu and Kashmir has been announced by the Election Commission to be held in four phases as under:-

(ii) Electoral rolls of all the 46 assembly constituencies in the Kashmir valley have been kept for inspection in the offices of the following Assistant Electoral Registration Officers, namely, (a) Secretary, Resident Commission, Jammu and Kashmir Government, Jammu and Kashmir House, 5-Prithiviraj Road, New Delhi, and (b) Assistant Commissioner, Office of the Relief Commissioner, Jammu. Elections for the first phase have already been notified and no applications for additions, corrections and deletions in the rolls can now be entertained. However, for the Assembly Constituencies in the districts of Srinagar and Badgam going to the polls on the 24^th September, 2002, and for the Assembly Constituencies in the districts of Anantnag and Pulwama, going to the polls on 1^st October, 2002, the Kashmiri migrants living in Jammu, Delhi or elsewhere who wish to enroll themselves as electors or get their names corrected or any names deleted from the electoral rolls may apply in the prescribed form (Form 6, 8 and 8B respectively), so as to reach the abovementioned officers latest by 27^th August, 2002, and 4^th September, 2002, respectively.

(iii) The Election Commission has worked out a scheme to enable the Kashmiri migrant electors, who are residing at various relief camps in Delhi, Jammu, Udhampur and nearby to cast their votes in person at the above general Election, at any one of the following polling stations:-

Jammu

1. Govt. Women's College, Gandhi Nagar, Jammu.

2. Directorate of Statistics and Evaluation, Janipur.

3. Directorate of Education, Accountancy Training Institute, Muthi.

4. Chanderbhaga Community Hall, Canal Road.

5. Directorate of Rural development Department & Horticulture Department, Talab Tillo.

6. Govt. Higher Secondary School for Migrants, Nagrota.

7. Govt. High School, Purkhoo.

8. Govt. High School, Mishriwala.

Delhi

9. Office of Secretary, Resident Commission, Jammu and Kashmir House, 5-Prithiviraj Road, New Delhi

10. Office of Additional D.M.(HQ), Tis Hazari.

Udhampur

11. High School, Battal Ballian, Udhampur.

(iv) Those who wish to exercise their franchise in person should intimate details of the electors of their families to the Assistant Returning Officers mentioned below in prescribed Form ‘M’, option once given shall be final.

1. Secretary, Resident Commission, Jammu and Kashmir Government, Jammu and Kashmir House, 5 Prithviraj Road, New Delhi,

2. Assistant Commissioner, office of the Relief Commissioner, Jammu, and

3. Additional Deputy Commissioner, Udhampur.

(v) All migrant voters (other than those who opt to vote in person) have the option to vote through postal ballot papers. They may apply for the postal ballot paper in the prescribed Form 12C available in the offices of the Assistant returning Officers mentioned above.

(vi) All migrant voters are advised to send their forms (Form 12 C or Form "M"), duly filled in and attested, to the concerned Aassistant Returning Officers so as to reach them on or before 6^th September, 2002, for Assembly Constituencies in the districts of Kupwara and Baramula, 14^th September, 2002, for the Assembly Constituencies in the districts of Srinagar and Badgam and 21^st September, 2002 for Assembly Constituencies in the districts of Pulwama and Anantnag.

(vii) To facilitate attestation of Forms 'M' and 12C, sufficient number of gazetted officers will be available in the offices of the Assistant Returning Officers.

(viii) All migrant electors can post their application forms and, later on, their marked postal ballot papers in the special letter boxes which will also be available at the offices of the Assistant Returning Officers.

Source: Election Commission of India